The present invention is related to methods and apparatus for the reclamation of spent oil, including lubricating oils and the like, and is particularly directed to the processing of spent lubricating oils in admixture with water and particulates. One such example is the recovery of lubricating oils from steel-making waste waters. In the manufacture of steel products, water is used for cooling and descaling. Oil used for lubrication purposes is normally, in the processing operations, combined with the solids-containing water. The mix forms stable mechanical and chemical emulsions. The mechanical emulsions are stabilized by suspended solids and the small size of oil droplets. The chemical emulsions are stabilized by electrolytic bonding within the emulsion. While the emulsions can be skimmed from waste water, no effective means has yet been devised to recover the oil. The rising cost of oil products, however, as well as the environmental legislation relating to the quality of waste-water disposal, create both an incentive and a need for oil reclamation. This is the subject of the instant invention.